OT - Indie Rock

I saw Brian mention that he was seeing the Indie Rock band "Mason Proper" when he ran into the fantastic pumpkin doodler....and a couple of years ago he wrote a great post using Sufjan Stevens song "Seven Swans" which I was totally pumped about.

Anyhoo..any other Indie Rock fans out there? Yeah, we're kinda dorky, but whatever you likes you likes. I'm not up for Rap and Metal or Country....I like "sad bastard music" as a friend of mine used to say (note: no longer a friend, but one thing that annoyed me was he loved Kid Rock..which, sure he's funny and cool and all but Jesus his music pisses me off...it's stupid..sorry)...anyway......the real point....any good bands I should check out?

Here's some recent stuff I've been a diggin:

The Softlights

Anything by Jenny Lewis..but her solo stuff is kinda country so that's weird...maybe it's because I have the hots for her

Arrah and the Ferns

Beirut...weird stuff..makes me think of like 1920's Poland or something

Los Campesinos!

Mates of State

The New Pornographers (sure, not so much "new" but their album "Challengers" is the shit)

I like "sad bastard music," but I'm more of a post-rock guy than an indie pop or indie folk guy (although I went through a Devendra Banhart phase). If you couldn't tell by my avatar, I'm a pretty big Godspeed You Black Emperor fan (though not as big a fan as I used to be, especially since they disbanded a few years ago), and all the obvious similar stuff. I guess if I put together a list of what I most listen to, it'd go like this (not limited to indie rock):

Yeah man, I love Pig Destroyer. I'm not even really a big grind guy, although I like some of the early Carcass stuff. Pig Destroyer is like, everything I like about over-the-top aggressive music distilled.

Not really the same genre exactly, but are you into Converge at all, by chance?

I don't listen to a lot of indie/alternative rock, but Modest Mouse is one of my favorite bands. If you love indie rock then obviously you already know who they are. Their early albums and EPs are amazing.

Modest Mouse is one of my favorites. Some Indie Rock snobs might says they "sold out" and what not, but I still love their music. I think their last album was fantastic, though they seem to always produce a "radio friendly song" on their newer stuff. I think that just shows you how great of a writer Isaac Brock is that he can do what he wants to do while at the same time toss out a tune that can be picked up by the masses.

Lonesome Crowded West and The Moon & Antartica are amazing albums. Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks is a great EP. If you forced me to make a list of their ten best songs , I couldn't do it. There is just waaaaaay to many to choose from. I haven't really listened to their latest album (wasn't too big on the singles, so I never really bothered to check the rest out). It's funny, because I mostly listen to rap now (not Lil' Wayne's garbage, though) but I always sprinkle in some MM now and then. Odd mix, I know, but damn I still love them.

Sommy's list is absolute class. Not to bring Radiohead up (cause that generally sparks a whole new subject), but I think people sometimes mistake passion for depression. Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Portishead, Walkmen all can give you a somber sound. Love Oasis, Blur, Charlatans, Stereophonics, Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Massive Attack, Thievery Corp. I thought Postal Service was good awhile back and I like Indie Rock. But the Indie Folk rock bother me. See the movie Juno and you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyways, cheers. I love music, football, and pretty birds.

I just saw Okkervil River play in NY on Wed., the opening act, Crooked Fingers, outshined them. Another great band I've seen recently on a similar vein are Silver Jews. Incredible lyrics in a monotone 'if Steven Wright sang' tenor. I've got tickets to see Cold War Kids next Wed., and I'm really excited for that show. Their new album is a litle bluesier than Robbers and Cowards, but their breakout album is a must-buy I think.

TV on the Radio are great; if you like alt-country check out Caliphone. Ra ra Riot's another good one.

if you're like me and into the lo-fi rock of the midwest (Raconteurs, Stripes), check out Soledad Brothers, the Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Greenhornes and Buffalo Killers.

I think you'd dig the Fiery Furnaces based off the bands you listed as well, definitely check them out; and if you like Mates of State, check out Of Montreal, Rilo Kiley and Regina Spektor.

I just saw Okkervil River on Wed.; the opening act, Crooked Fingers, blew them away. If you like alt-country, check out Califone too. If you're a Mates and Pornographers fan, you'll dig Fiery Furnaces, and check out Rilo Kiley. She's been around for a while and has a pretty big name, at least in NY.

For the Modest Mouse fan in you, listen to Franz Ferdinand, the Killers, the Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, and Razorlight.

Definitely throw down for some Cold War Kids. I'm seeing them next Wed., really looking forward to it. They've got two albums now; Robbers and Cowards was really good. The new album Loyalty to Loyalty is bluesier, I dig it.

If you like midwest blues rock, like the Raconteurs, check out the Greenhornes, Black Keys, Soledad Brothers and Buffalo Killers.

There are some seminal bands I think in Indie Rock that you'd probably like at least some stuff:

Broken Social Scene

The Decemberists

Ted Leo and the Pharmicists

Architecture In Helsinki

The New Pornographers

Pavement

Magnetic Fields

And I think that anyone should be required to listen to Kid A and then The Postal Service album. Both of those are about as influential as any albums in the past 20 years. I really can't stress enough hwo fucking awesome Electronica is. I love indie rock but the genres are blurred so much now that much of what I love the most is dance indie stuff (los campesinos, vampire weekend, css, phoenix) or electronica (erlend oye, schneider tm, m83)

Kings of Convenicne are fucking awesome too.

A2 bands:

Dabre

Midwest Product

Mobius Band

Skeletons and the Git Faced Boys

All those bands are from A2. Ghostly out of A2 is a great label whose artists have been featured at SXSW and
also in a couple GM commerials. (one thing GM got right in
marketing the past decade)

And of course how can anyone sleep on the classic underground hip hop guys Binary Star / One Man Army? That
first Binary Star album is classic and it came straight outta A2.

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And finally: if you want to listen to what quite a bit of Indie-Rock (vampire weekend, ahem) is derivitive of check out afrobeat and afrofunk. Just gooole like "afrobeat best of torrent" and you'll get the picture. Just catchy as hell, even in languages I don't understand.

Binary Star/One Be Lo/One Man Army was seriously pretty good (is he still doing anything?) -- if you're into Dabrye, are you familiar with Kadence? He (Brandon/Kadence) used to be a good friend of mine (moreso my roommate, but whatever), and did a pair of tracks on Two/Three.

Ghostly has some great stuff, but I think for every good disc they put out, they have a few so-so albums. I love pretty much everything that Tadd puts out (Dabrye/James Cotton/SK1/etc), and I got to see Post/Prior do a show with Telefon Tel Aviv at the Halfass when I was still working there -- that was one of the best shows I've been to, even if it was mostly a DJ set.

I'm a fan of things that are epic, if that means anything. It's something like Michael Hedges crossed with Bohren Und Der Club of Gore with a dash of Stars of the Lid.

Also, if you do download it, you'll have to crank it up quite a bit -- there's little compression on the recording, and there's so much audio crammed into one bit of audio bandwidth (and I haven't done any real mastering yet), so it will seem a bit quieter than most other recordings.

seriously though, there's a discussion going on about "indie" rock and only one person's brought up pavement. psssht. dinosaur jr anyone? the early 90s/ late 80s underground is where it's at: mission of burma, big black, dinosaur jr., pavement, drive like jehu, fugazi, guided by voices, the jesus lizard, THE FUCKING PIXIES

i don't know why i'm so fixated on this time period. i was all of six years old when most of these bands were in their prime.

If you love Pavement, you've got to get into Silver Jews and Malkmus. Silver Jews is one of my faves at the moment. I saw them play in Williamsburg, BK and Webster Hall a few weeks ago. Back to back shows. Incredible live. David Berman is a great lyricist, and his wife is totally rad on bass. Download Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed and How Can I Love You (If You Won't Lie Down). Then pretty much download everything else by them.

OK, to go all the way back to the start, Chris, after the TV on the Radio album you have, they released "Return to Cookie Mountain", which I think is their best. They JUST released "Dear Science", which is also excellent, and a little "easier" if that makes sense.

Whoever said Walkmen, I will cosign 1,000,000%. Their first two albums - "Evevryone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone" and "Bows + Arrows" are awesome in a late-night, bleary eyed rock sort of way. Their next album "A Hundred Miles Off" was sort of mediocre, but their new one, "You and Me" is about the best sad/mopey album you could possibly listen to. It's fucking amazing.

And it's not indy, at all, but if "sad and mopey" is what you're looking for, there is no better album, ever, than "Layla and Assorted Love Songs" by Derek and the Dominoes (ie, Eric Claption, Duane Allman, and others)...

Anyone here ever listen to The Stone Roses? I got their debut album a few months ago and have basically listened to it non stop since. I don't get the sense that they have many US fans which is a shame. Other indie bands I listen to are The La's, The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine, and Sonic Youth. I've got a few of Modest Mouse's later albums that I really like, will probably get the earlier ones at some point.

has enjoyed a pretty decent following in the UK having put out 5 solo albums since the Stone Roses split. He's toured with Oasis, the Verve and Blur; and I've actually seen him perform with Kasabian (another group worth checking out). The guy can electrify a crowd. If you liked SR, download "F.E.A.R." by Brown.

I've got a few Ian Brown solo albums, they're good, (F.E.A.R is a great song), but they don't really come close to the Stone Roses, IMO. I have some Jesus and Mary Chain on my computer, but haven't really gotten around to it yet.

The Hold Steady - Guitar-based rock. Some people don't like the vocalist because he doesn't really sing so much as rhythmically recite his lyrics, which are mostly about desperate young people on hard drugs. One of my all time favorite bands.

Junior Boys - Whispery, melancholic eletro-pop. Doesn't sounds like much at first but has really gotten under my skin.

Caribou - A sort of highly-produced retro-60s thing with some psychedelia overtones but also lots sunny Beach Boys vocalizatios and sounds.

that your next fave band will be Fiery Furnaces. And check out Animal Collective and Wolf Parade.

To whoever is still posting in this thread, I could use a few recommendations for the modern psychedelic rock genre (anything similar to Brian Jonestown Massacre; The Out Crowd; Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), or blues rock (White Stripes, Raconteurs, Black Keys).

i don't know if you grew up in metro detroit or what. but if you're from the area, you'll have an appreciation for the dirtbombs. they're pretty bluesy though most people would classify them as garage rock.

Detroit Cobras, Thee Headcoatees and a bunch more. And I'm not even from Detroit, I just love the hell out of the lo-fi rock from DTW. Jack White actually said if it wasn't for the Dirtbombs, there would be no White Stripes. So love them or hate them, the Dirtbombs are to blame for Jack and Meg. Who would you say started the trend in the Detroit Metro rock scene? My guess is MC5. Kick out the jams!

So much great rock in Detroit. The 30 mile radia surrounding Detroit, Brooklyn and San Francisco have to be the top modern stages of rock music today.

the hold steady's label mates (actually the guys who run the label) les savy fav are the greatest thing going. anyone who's a fan of herky jerky guitars, dancey music and big fat bald guys who like to wear spandex should check them out.